Make Your Career Chase You

May 30, 2017

by Firsthand Staff

This week we look at the power of female mentors in engineering, at when you should make your career chase you, and when to take a lower paying job offer.

How Women Mentors Make a Difference in Engineering
THE ATLANTICWomen are lifting up other women. In a year-long study from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, female engineering students paired with a female mentor felt more motivated, more self-assured, and less anxious than those who had either no mentor or a male one. Researcher Nilanjana Dasgupta discusses the power of mentors as “social vaccines.” Read Article»

Amy Poehler says to treat your career like a bad boyfriend—and it may be the ultimate millennial advice
CNBCIf Leslie Knope was offering career advice, wouldn’t you take it? Amy posits that passion is the juicy stuff that lubricates our lives and helps us feel less alone in the world, while careers are things that fool you into thinking you are in control and then take pleasure in reminding you that you aren’t. Don’t chase your career, because you will rarely feel done, complete, or even successful. Instead, chase your passions. The confidence and fulfillment you get from those passions make your career chase you rather than the other way around. Read Article»

How We Closed the Gap Between Men’s and Women’s Retention Rates
Harvard Business ReviewRelationships matter. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) learned that the primary reason high performing, mid-career women left their firm was inadequate apprenticeship relationships. BCG chose to focus on three aspects to improve the mentor-mentee work relationships and increase female retention rates: Relational connectedness; making personal connections and investing in individual success. Strengths-based development; using existing skills to improve areas for development. And coaching a range of communication styles; acknowledging men and women have different communication styles and training leaders to use both. Read Article»

Bosses believe your work skills will soon be useless
The Washington PostWill your skills be valuable in 15 years? Nearly a third of business leaders and technology analysts have “no confidence” that education and job training in the United States will evolve rapidly enough to match the next decade’s labor market demands. Fluency in a computerized world will be key, but the real differentiator will be emotional intelligence, something you can’t learn online. Read Article»

Overcoming Writers Block
Firsthand BlogMica Kelmachter (’13) isn’t your typical alumna. After graduating from the University of Maryland, she pursued a career in international journalism, landing pieces in Forbes and The Times of London. But to reach the next level of her career, Mica turned to the UMD Alumni Advisor Network, connecting with an advisor who happened to be in exactly the kind of position that Mica aspired to. Read Article»

7 factors that could make a lower salary a better deal
Business InsiderI’ve got my mind on my money and my money on my mind. Salary is often at the top of the list of requirements when people are getting their first job or switching to a new one. There are times though, like when a job is in a city with a significantly lower cost of living, when the raw dollar offer doesn’t tell you the whole story. Consider the benefits package and how happy you would be before moving onto the next highest bidder. Read Article»

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